Business screen magazine (1946)

A filmmaker's journey through purgatory (From Attica to now) BY LEER. BOBKER For ;i pltiihI of six years, from 1 965 to 1971, the American Foundation through its Institute of Corrections made it possihL" for this fihiimaker to research, write, direct, and produce a series of documcntar\ films dealing with our correctional system. It was, to say the least, a difficult and sobering experience. The problems that fially led to the tragedy of Atlica were only too obvious and the reluctance of society to directly confront those problems was also quite clear. No normally intelligent person possessed of average powers of observation could fail to see where we were headed, for Atlica is the mirror of the system — exposing in a single blinding moment of illumination our total failure to deal with the complex problems of crime and punishment Huring the intense research period made possible by the generosity and vision of the client. Mrs, Nellie l.ee Hok. president of The American Foundation and one of the great human beings of our time, and l-rank I.oveland. that rarest of people -a true visionary, I was exposed in depth to two mteresting phenomena. One. a field m which the experts ( both academicians ami pragmatists) admit to tot.il failure and yet for the most part refuse to even make a start on any truly innovative approach. To be sure, there are many dedicated and thoughtful men and women who within the existing system arc attempting to create change b\ such programs as work release, open institutions, intensive therapy, etc.. but these arc in essence simply efforts to improve our prisons. The opportunity of working on these films brought me into contact with just about all the lop people in the field and rarely did 1 encounter any serious effort to scrap the entire concept of "prison" and start from scratch on something new. Somehow an air of defeat and pessimism hangs over the entire field. Those who have genuine dedication, genuine insight and genuinely new innovative ideas despair of ever seeing them adopted. Those like our Attorney (leneral (Mitchell), our Ciovernt)r (Rockefeller) and the director of the FBI (guess who) still cling to the notion that what we need is more prisons, more guards and harsher, more repressive treatment. This latter group is. of course, where the power lies. As a filmmaker of some reputation, I had no difficulty talking with an\one. but after the usual lip service to "pro gress", it was difficult to find an)" really interesting real live examples of j something new. During the research and during actual filming, in over 50 major am" minor institutions and jails and pen' itentiaries all over the U.S.A.. wha was seen and experienced was appall ing. As a filmmaker, I have spent ; fair portion of my life in the desperaU, places of this world. I am not squeamf ish nor easih shocked. Slums, hospi| tals and mental institutions can be ba baric, but the conditions inside ou| jails and prisons def\ belief. Here was a "sponsored film" proj| ect that really made a substantive con tribution to the society. We anticipate<| Attica. The first film in the serie The Odds Against, won 10 maj( awards including a nomination for Academy Award. These helped it seen by millions of Americans and il influenced several state legislatures l«j pause and think before blitheh ap propriating more money tor biggey and better prisons. This film provid an overview of the system as through the blighted life of a sin^jlj Lee R. Bobker is president of Vis Associates. New York. 50 BUSINESS SCRCEU